Sunshade assembly for an automobile

ABSTRACT

A sunshade assembly includes a base unit, a spool, a flexible screen body, a driving unit, and a cover unit. The base unit has an opening. The spool is disposed rotatably in the base unit. The flexible screen body is wound on the spool, and has a free end that is movable through the opening in the base unit. The driving unit is provided on the free end of the flexible screen body. The cover unit is coupled pivotably to the base unit. When the free end of the flexible screen body moves from an extended position to a retracted position, the driving unit drives rotation of the cover unit from an open position to a closed position, where the cover unit covers the opening in the base unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a sunshade assembly, more particularly to a sunshade assembly for an automobile.

2. Description of the Related Art

A conventional sunshade assembly for an automobile includes a flexible screen body that is movable between an extended position to thereby cover a rear windshield of the automobile, and a retracted position to thereby uncover the rear windshield of the automobile. The conventional sunshade assembly is inserted into an opening in a rear deck of the automobile and is mounted on the rear deck of the automobile.

The aforementioned conventional sunshade assembly is disadvantageous in that a free end of the flexible screen body is exposed through the opening in the rear deck of the automobile when the flexible screen body is disposed at the retracted position. This causes accumulation of dust on the free end of the flexible screen body and has a negative impact on the appearance of the automobile.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sunshade assembly that can overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art.

According to the present invention, a sunshade assembly comprises a base unit, a spool, a flexible screen body, a mechanism, a driving unit, and a cover unit. The base unit defines an accommodating space therein, and an opening that is in spatial communication with the accommodating space. The spool is disposed rotatably in the accommodating space in the base unit. The flexible screen body is wound on the spool, and has a free end that is movable through the opening in the base unit between an extended position to thereby unwind the flexible screen body from the spool, and a retracted position to thereby wind the flexible screen body on the spool. The mechanism is coupled to the free end of the flexible screen body, and is operable so as to drive movement of the free end of the flexible screen body. The driving unit is provided on the free end of the flexible screen body. The cover unit is coupled pivotably to the base unit. When the free end of the flexible screen body moves from the retracted position to the extended position, the driving unit permits rotation of the cover unit relative to the base unit from a closed position, where the cover unit covers the opening in the base unit, to an open position, where the cover unit uncovers the opening in the base unit. When the free end of the flexible screen body moves from the extended position to the retracted position, the driving unit drives rotation of the cover unit from the open position to the closed position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of a sunshade assembly according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a free end of a flexible screen body of the preferred embodiment when disposed at a retracted position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the free end of the flexible screen body of the preferred embodiment when disposed at an extended position;

FIG. 4 is a partly exploded perspective view of a base unit, a cover unit, a pivot joint, a driven unit, and a biasing unit of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a magnified fragmentary perspective view of the base unit, the cover unit, the pivot joint, the driven unit, and the biasing unit shown in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the cover unit of the preferred embodiment when disposed at an open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the preferred embodiment of a sunshade assembly according to this invention is shown to include a base unit 3, a sunshade unit 4, a mechanism 6, a driving unit 2, and a cover unit 5.

The sunshade assembly of this invention is installed on a rear deck (not shown) of an automobile (not shown), and is operable so as to cover and uncover a rear windshield (not shown) of the automobile.

The base unit 3 defines an accommodating space 31, and an opening 32 that is in spatial communication with the accommodating space 31. In this embodiment, the base unit 3 has an outer surface formed with an engaging groove 33. The engaging groove 33 extends along the length of the base unit 3 and engages the rear deck of the automobile.

The sunshade unit 4 includes a spool 41 and a flexible screen body 42. The spool 41 is disposed rotatably in the accommodating space 31 in the base unit 3. The flexible screen body 42 is wound on the spool 41, and has a free end 421 that is movable through the opening 32 in the base unit 3 between an extended position to thereby unwind the flexible screen body 42 from the spool 41, as best shown in FIG. 3, and a retracted position to thereby wind the flexible screen body 42 on the spool 41, as best shown in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, the sunshade unit 4 further includes means (not shown) for biasing the spool 41 to rotate in a direction so as to wind the flexible screen body 42 on the spool 41. Since the sunshade unit 4 is known in the art, and since the feature of the invention does not reside in the particular configuration of the same, a detailed description thereof will not be provided herein for the sake of brevity.

The mechanism 6 is operable so as to drive movement of the free end 421 of the flexible screen body 42, and includes a driving module 62 and a pair of collapsible arms 61. The driving module 62 is mounted on the base unit 3. Each of the collapsible arms 61 has a first end coupled to the free end 421 of the flexible screen body 42, and a second end opposite to the first end thereof and coupled to the driving module 62. Since the mechanism 6 is known in the art, and since the feature of the invention does not reside in the particular configuration of the same, a detailed description thereof will not be provided herein for the sake of brevity.

The driving unit 2 is provided on the free end 421 of the flexible screen body 42. In this embodiment, the driving unit 2 is in the form of a batten.

The first ends of the collapsible arms 61 of the mechanism 6 are coupled to the free end 421 of the flexible screen body 42 through the driving unit 2.

With further reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the cover unit 5 is coupled pivotably to the base unit 3. In particular, the sunshade assembly further includes a pivot joint that interconnects the cover unit 5 and the base unit 3. The pivot joint includes a first set of spaced apart pivot members 71 that are provided along the length of the base unit 3, a second set of spaced apart pivot members 72 that are provided along an edge of the cover unit 5, and four pivot pins 73 (only one of the pivot pins 73 is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5), each of which extends through a respective one of the pivot members 71 in the first set and a respective one of the pivot members 72 in the second set. In this embodiment, the cover unit 5 has an arcuate cross-section.

It is noted that when the free end 421 of the flexible screen body 42 moves from the retracted position to the extended position, the driving unit 2 permits rotation of the cover unit 5 from a closed position, where the cover unit 5 covers the opening 32 in the base unit 3, to an open position, where the cover unit 5 uncovers the opening 32 in the base unit 3.

It is also noted that when the free end 421 of the flexible screen body 42 moves from the extended position to the retracted position, the driving unit 2 drives rotation of the cover unit 5 from the open position to the closed position.

The sunshade assembly further includes a driven unit and a biasing unit. The driven unit includes four spaced apart driven members 8 that are provided along the edge of the cover unit 5. In this embodiment, each of the driven members 8 of the driven unit, like the cover unit 5, has an arcuate cross-section. The biasing unit serves to bias the cover unit 5 to the open position, and includes a first biasing member 9 and a second biasing member (not shown). The first biasing member 9 is sleeved on the rightmost one the pivot pins 73, and has opposite ends that abut respectively against the cover unit 5 and the rightmost one of the pivot members 71, as best shown in FIG. 2. The second biasing member is sleeved on the leftmost one the pivot pins 73, and has opposite ends that abut respectively against the cover unit 5 and the leftmost one of the pivot members 71. In this embodiment, each of the first and second biasing members 9 of the biasing unit is a torsion spring.

It is noted that when the cover unit 5 is disposed at the closed position, the driving unit 2 abuts against the driven members 8 of the driven unit, thereby preventing rotation of the cover unit 5 to the open position.

In operation, at an initial state, as best shown in FIG. 2, the free end 421 of the flexible screen body 42 is disposed at the retracted position, i.e., the cover unit 5 is disposed at the closed position and the driving unit 2 abuts against the driven members 8 of the driven unit. In this state, when the mechanism 6 is operated, the free end 421 of the flexible screen body 42 moves to the extended position. This results in movement of the driving unit 2 away from the driven members 8 of the driven unit, rotation of the cover unit 5 to the open position due to the biasing actions of the first and second biasing members 9 of the biasing unit, and unwinding of the flexible screen body 42 from the spool 41. Thereafter, when the mechanism 6 is again operated, the free end 421 of the flexible screen body 42 moves back to the retracted position. This results in winding of the flexible screen body 42 on the spool 41, abutting of the driving unit 2 against the driven members 8 of the driven unit, and rotation of the cover unit 5 back to the closed position against the biasing actions of the first and second biasing members 9 of the biasing unit.

The sunshade assembly further includes a limiting unit 1 that is provided on the edge of the cover unit 5, that extends along the length of the cover unit 5, and that abuts against the base unit through the pivot members 71 when the cover unit 5 is disposed at the open position, as best shown in FIG. 6, thereby preventing rotation of the cover unit 5 beyond the open position.

From the above description, since the cover unit 5 covers the opening 32 in the base unit 3 when the free end 421 of the flexible screen body 42 is disposed at the retracted position, the sunshade assembly of this invention prevents accumulation of dust on the free end 421 of the flexible screen body 42 and does not have a negative impact on the appearance of the automobile.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

1. A sunshade assembly, comprising: a base unit defining an accommodating space therein, and an opening that is in spatial communication with said accommodating space; a spool disposed rotatably in said accommodating space in said base unit; a flexible screen body wound on said spool, and having a free end that is movable through said opening in said base unit between an extended position to thereby unwind said flexible screen body from said spool, and a retracted position to thereby wind said flexible screen body on said spool; a mechanism coupled to said free end of said flexible screen body, and operable so as to drive movement of said free end of said flexible screen body; a driving unit provided on said free end of said flexible screen body; and a cover unit coupled pivotably to said base unit, wherein when said free end of said flexible screen body moves from the retracted position to the extended position, said driving unit permits rotation of said cover unit relative to said base unit from a closed position, where said cover unit covers said opening in said base unit, to an open position, where said cover unit uncovers said opening in said base unit, and wherein when said free end of said flexible screen body moves from the extended position to the retracted position, said driving unit drives rotation of said cover unit from the open position to the closed position.
 2. The sunshade assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a driven unit provided on said cover unit, wherein when said free end of said flexible screen body moves from the extended position to the retracted position, said driving unit abuts against said driven unit, thereby resulting in rotation of said cover unit from the open position to the closed position.
 3. The sunshade assembly as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a biasing unit for biasing said cover unit to the open position, wherein when said cover unit is disposed at the closed position, said driving unit abuts against said driven unit, thereby preventing rotation of said cover unit to the open position, and wherein when said free end of said flexible screen body moves from the retracted position to the extended position, said driving unit moves away from said driven unit, thereby resulting in rotation of said cover unit to the open position.
 4. The sunshade assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a limiting unit provided on said cover unit, wherein when said cover unit is disposed at the open position, said limiting unit abuts against said base unit, thereby preventing rotation of said cover unit beyond the open position.
 5. The sunshade assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a pivot joint interconnecting said base unit and said cover unit and permitting rotation of said cover unit relative to said base unit.
 6. The sunshade assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said driving unit is in the form of a batten, and said mechanism is coupled to said free end of said flexible screen body through said driving unit. 